Modern migraine medications added to Pharmac’s Options for Investment list
Funding of galcanezumab (Emgality), erenumab (Aimovig) and atogepant (Aquipta) progressed one step closer this week, with Pharmac adding these migraine-specific medications to its Options for Investment list for the prevention of both episodic and chronic migraine. All three of these medications target calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), which is a neuropeptide involved in triggering and sustaining […]
Our partnership with the Neurological Alliance
Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand is a member of the Neurological Alliance, a collection of (currently) 20 member groups representing the one in three New Zealanders who are or will be affected by a neurological condition during their lifetime. Other members include Stroke Foundation of NZ, Epilepsy NZ, Dementia NZ, Brain Injury NZ, Parkinsons NZ, Multiple […]
Inaugural NZ Medicine Access Summit
The first-ever national event to discuss New Zealand’s woeful access to modern medicines was held in Wellington, 29-30 April, at Parliament and hosted by The Honorable David Seymour, Associate Minister of Health. Fiona Imlach and Suzanne Value from Migraine Foundation Aotearoa NZ attended. The event was organized by Patient Voice Aotearoa, a volunteer-run advocacy group […]
Pharmac proposes to decline zolmitriptan after 17 years of waiting
Jump back to 2007. More than fifteen years ago, in 1991, sumatriptan was launched, the first acute medication specifically designed to treat migraine attacks by targeting a serotonin receptor found in blood vessels in the brain. It was described as miraculous. In half of patients, sumatriptan aborted attacks and reduced pain in 70%. Pain, nausea, […]
Neurological Advisory Committee meeting presentation
“The stories were heartbreaking” That was the comment from Dr Brian Anderson, Chair of Pharmac’s Neurological Advisory Committee, when speaking about the collection of stories we gave to Pharmac and the Committee about people’s experiences of living with migraine in Aotearoa New Zealand. These stories made an impression. No one can deny the reality of […]
What the Women’s Health Strategy means for people with migraine in Aotearoa
In July 2023, the Ministry of Health launched six new health strategies, the Pae Ora | Healthy Futures Strategies, as mandated by new legislation (the Pae Ora Act) that underpinned the restructuring of the health system. All of these strategies are important and set the direction for health services for the next decade. Three strategies […]
Lack of medicine access contributing to health workforce shortage
Despite the hedging of various Ministers of Health, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that our healthcare workforce is in crisis. People are waiting weeks to see a GP. Between 2019 and 2022, 28% of general practices had fully closed their books. This was due to factors such as staff shortages, workload and burnout. According to […]
New migraine questions in the next New Zealand Health Survey
A year ago in June 2022, Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand applied to the Ministry of Health to add questions about migraine to the New Zealand Health Survey, a national survey of over 13,000 adults. This month we received the positive news that questions we asked for have been included in the 2023/24 survey, and will […]
New reports again highlight poor access to modern medicines in New Zealand
Photo credit: Front cover, New Zealand’s Medicines Landscape 2022/23, Medicines NZ New Zealand, once again, is at the back of the pack for funding new medications. Last month, Medicines New Zealand released its latest report: New Zealand’s Medicines Landscape 2022/23. This annual report provides a summary of facts about the medicine inequity we face in […]
Why the Minister of Health’s recent comments sting
On May 7 2023, The New Zealand Minister of Health, Dr Ayesha Verrall, was interviewed by Jake Tame for TVNZ’s Q + A to discuss the government’s plan to protect the health system over winter and the general state of the health system. Near the end of the interview, Dr Verrall was asked about Pharmac’s […]
